Rating: 
Summary: Gloomier than ever
Review: Oh boy. Well, it's at least better than Point Of Origin or Black Notice. The writing's erratic, and Scarpetta herself is gloomier than ever, but the plot is kept fairly simple and is all the better for it. Lucy is still the Greatest Genius Woman Who Ever Lived -- one wonders if in the next book she'll run for president -- and if you haven't been following the Scarpetta books you won't understand a single word. Still, it's a page-turner, although I regret that the zippy prose and downright believability of Cornwell's first four books has seemingly vanished forever. She simply takes herself -- and Scarpetta, and Lucy -- far too seriously.
Rating: 
Summary: skipped to the end
Review: UGH... I am so disappointed in the last few PC novels and this one has been so terrible that I skipped to the end after the first 100 pages or so just to satisfy my curiosity about whodunnit (which is completely implausible and stupid, btw) without having to put up with the tedious story and Kay's insufferable attitude and paranoia. Oh, how I wish to have the wonderful read of All that Remains again!
Rating:
Summary: Boring, Long, Confusing & Depressing
Review: I'm a huge fan of Kay Scarpetta but this book was just too much. It was constantly referring to Black Notice, the book prior to this, so much so that I felt as if I should have read the two back to back.It starts out slow and is (of course!) resolved in the final few pages. I think that Kay is getting to be one dimensional -- surely she has some sort of a life away from work? Everything revolves around her and everything is tied together. I know, I know, it's a novel about *HER* but it gets to be too much. If you've read all the others in this series, of course you'll have to read this one. But, I don't think it's up to standard tho I was left with a feeling of hope for future Kay Scarpetta novels!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than expected
Review: The last 3 or 4 installments of this series have left me saying that I was not going to bother reading any more of them, but of course I do. This time I did not regret reading her work - it did tie up some loose ends from Black Notice and it was entertaining. It did not bother me that we were privy to some intimate conversations between KS and a therapist/friend, b/c it allowed me to get to know her better. At least this time we were not getting minute details of every meal that was cooked. I would like to see her throw Marino a bone and get off his back. Bottem line - if you like PC and any of her other works, you won't regret reading this book. It won't thrill you the way her earlier works did, but it won't bore you to tears.
Rating:
Summary: BORING, BORING, BORING.
Review: Wish I would have read the reviews before I bought the hard back copy. I have been an avid Cornwell fan for years and anxiously awaited this release. Much to my dismay it was hard to pick up once I started it. Don't bother. Never went anywhere. Hard to follow but probably because it took forever to read being so longwinded.
Rating: 
Summary: The Last Precinct
Review: Novels about transition are problematic: narrative is necessarily sacrificed to introspection, discussion and analysis - disappointing for those who like their novels devoid of texture, light and shade. It takes a brave and skilled writer at the top of their game to attempt this kind of novel. The Last Precinct is so powerful because it manages to combine analysis of Kay and the monsters she deals with interwoven with a pretty good plot considering. For all those who breathlessly read Cornwell's masterly, intense works, this book is required and compulsive reading - we are seeing some intimate light shed into the inner reaches of Kay's character and the dumbfounding evil unleashed in Black Notice. Evil is puzzling: it needs explanation. I was greatly relieved to learn that Benton's death had to it a note of victory. Someone once wrote of P.D. James that she was a novelist who used the mystery genre as a vehicle to explore a wider vision of the world. With The Last Precinct, this can also be said of Patricia Cornwell.
Rating:
Summary: This is great for Scarpetta fans!
Review: Without giving anything away... let me say that this book on its own might strike a reader new to Cornwell as very heavy and dark. It's insidious, sometimes melodramatically dark and deep, and often dispairing... but that's taking it out of context. For the readers who've been following Kay Scarpetta as Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, you can place this book clearly and gracefully in the heart of Scarpetta's learning curve. A successful, independent woman who's borne more than her share of life's trials in the face of an esteemed and satisfying career, the lack of authentic intimacy in her life finally begins getting to her. Dr. Scarpetta's had meaningful relationships, meaningful friendships, and even a meaningful pseudo parent/child relationship... but she remains an island alone. Her fight against death, impossible to win, dooms her to frustration and impotence, and in this book, this truth finally dawns on her. Her job, her major source of confidence and connectedness, piroutettes against her in a crescendo of very personal loose-ends from previous stories. I think the element of introspection in this novel makes it a pivotal story in the Scarpetta series. However, I give it four stars because, as I said, it stands alone less strongly than it should for five.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Enough
Review: After Point of Origin, I was a bit worried about the last two Scarpetta novels that continued the saga. Black Notice managed to revive my interest, and Last Precinct is keeping me fairly well interested. I understand a lot of reader's complaining about Kay's tendency to wallow in self-pity, and the fact that the plots aren't quite what they used to be, and I'll admit I've been disappointed with a few things. But come on guys. Life changes, we change, and unfortunately our favorite characters change. Change is what The Last Precinct is all about. Several shocking changes, in fact. Our favorite medical examiner is closing a door on one aspect of her life, and moving on, possibly, to brighter horizons. Yes, all of our favorite friends and enemies are here, just not as much in the spotlight as usual. We see a new side of several of them, and I think this novel was more a bit of soul-searching on Kay's part that we get to snoop in on. The plot was a twisting, turning maze, and I was well satisfied by the mental tension, even though the action was a bit more toned down. I was surprised when the "bad guys" are unmasked, and a few connections caught me completely unaware. That isn't the true end of the story, however. The purpose of Last Precinct is to prepare us for Kay's complete life change, and personally, I think it's about time. I won't give it away, but hopefully Kay is branching out, and we will see her personal relationships become much heathier and more meaningful in the future. Even if it's for only one more book. So, would I recommend it? Yes, to long-time Scarpetta fans. Not so much to newcomers, as there is too much change and you might get lost. The last few books have really been meaningless unless you have the background necessary to know who's who. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think it's worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed....
Review: It took me almost 25 days to finish this book. Once, I have to stop, because the first few chapters were just self-pity, self-angry, and a bitter taste of life... I just have to read another book just to get away from those chapters. When I decided to finish it... oh well, I have to, I've paid for it... I don't think I would buy her next novel, I might just borrow it from the library to save money. Very disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: A new direction for Kay is welcome but . . .
Review: The best and most hopeful thing about The Last Precinct is that there's a suggestion that Kay, Lucy, and Marino may finally be freed from the psychological death spiral they've been in for about the last five books. Like most other reviewers here, I've been a fan of Cornwell and her creation Kay since Post Mortem, but I've been more discouraged with every installment since From Potter's Field. The plots have become MUCH too personally centered on Kay, suggesting some conceit on Cornwell's part: think about it, every man is in love with Kay, nearly every man in an authority position has it in for her, every psychopath is obsessed with her. But back to The Last Precinct. Pretty much an expansion of Black Notice, but luckily with some clarification of details that simply didn't ring true at the time, like Kay sleeping with Jay Talley. Unfortunately, Cornwell can't seem to let go of some things, and Benton's murder gets murkier every time there's a new element exposed. It's time for some new territory and I hope I saw the springboard for that in this outing. I'm sick of hearing about Temple Gault, Carrie Grethen, and even poor old Benton. Let these people rest in peace and find some new ground to cover! That said, I continue to hope for some kind of resurrection of the old Kay in the next novel.
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